Chandigarh, Dec 4: IndiGo’s nationwide disruption entered its third day on Thursday, leaving passengers in Chandigarh and Jammu facing widespread delays and cancellations as the airline grappled with a shortage of available pilots. More than 300 domestic and international flights had been cancelled by afternoon, prompting the aviation regulator to step in.
At Chandigarh’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, 14 of the 15 IndiGo departures scheduled for December 4 were delayed. The Chandigarh–Mumbai flight set for 5:20 a.m. finally left at 8:05 a.m., while a 7:20 a.m. flight to Chennai was pushed to 3:55 p.m. Flights to Leh and Ahmedabad, slated for 11:45 a.m. and 12:05 p.m., had still not departed by 3:30 p.m. Arrivals lagged as well, with a 7:30 a.m. Bengaluru flight landing at 8:54 a.m.
Frustrated travellers turned to social media to recount their experience.
“@IndiGo6E my flight from Goa to Chandigarh (6E724) at 6 p.m. is cancelled,” wrote passenger Ravindra Soni on X. “This has been my worst experience. I was put on hold for 30 minutes before the call disconnected. I tried the 6E AI Assistant, but in vain.”
Another passenger, Gourav Singh, said, “IndiGo at it again. No announcements, no accountability. Same old airlines never learn.”
The situation was similar in Jammu, where flights to Delhi saw repeated delays. “My flight from Jammu to Delhi has been delayed by four hours,” a passenger said. “I don’t know if the flight will depart today.” Another traveller added, “The 10:30 a.m. flight has been rescheduled to 3:30 p.m.”
Out of 11 IndiGo flights operating from Jammu on Thursday, eight were delayed, one was cancelled and only two arrived on time.
Jammu airport director Devendra Yadav said the disruptions began after the DGCA restricted pilot duty hours on December 1. “IndiGo’s software monitoring roster of pilots developed a glitch, and that affected availability,” he said. “We informed passengers via SMS and there’s always a contingency plan. The waiting area has enough capacity and the airline has readjustment plans.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is holding discussions with IndiGo to address the ongoing crisis.
